Washing-machine



(NoModeL) 1 4 2 shets -shefi 11.

" I. WHITNEY.

WASHING MACHINE.

No. 376,932. Patented Jan. 24, 1888.

ISAAC WHITNEY, OF LYNnvILLE, IOWA,

WASHlNG-M A CHIN E.

SPECIFICATION forming part ofLetters Patent No. 376,932 dated January124, 1888 i a Applicaiionfiled August 9, 1887. Serial No. 246,502.(Remodel) To all whom it may concern: V

'Be it known that I, ISAAC WHITNEY, a citizen of the United States, anda residentof Lynnville, in the county of Jasper and State of Iowa, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Washing-Machines; and Ido hereby declare that the following is *a full, clear, vand exactdescription of the invention, which will enableothers skilled in the artto which it ap-pertaius to make and.

use the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, whichform apart of this specification, and in which- Figure lis a perspectiveyiew of my improved washing-machine, showing the, cover folded to oneside. Fig. '2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of the same.Fig. 3 is a similar view taken on the same line and looking in theopposite direction. Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the machine with thecover opened, and Fig. 5 is'a vertical transverse section taken throughthe rocking shaft.

Similar numerals of referenceindicate corre sponding parts in all thefigures.

My invention has relation to that class of washing-machines having arubber forming a part-0f a cylinder and'provided with means 1 1indicates, the suds-box, which is mounted upon legs 2 and formed with arounded bottom, 3, and with a suitable soap-receptacle,

' 4, at one end,and.with asuitable board orrail,

5, for the attachment of a clothes-wringer, and

' this. suds-box has its bottom'supported and I held toward the roundededges of the side 4 pieces by means of metallic straps or'rods 41,besides by the fastening-nails 42, the ends of the said straps havingbolts 43 movably attached to them and inserted through the topframe ofthe suds-box, and secured by means of nuts 44 at the upper side of thesaid frame,

the nuts serving to draw the straps up tightly against the roundedmetallic bottom, and to thus form a tight joint between the edges of thebottom and the rounded edges of the side pieces of the box.

The suds-box is provided with a cover, 6,

' restingv withits edges in the rabbets 7, formed in the upper edges ofthe suds-box, and hinged at one side by means of hinges 8, havingtheirpintles removably inserted into the leaves upon the box, so that thecover may be detached Fries,

from the box. A'leg, 9, or prop is hinged upon the cover near the outeror freeedgeof the same, and has a turn-button orcatch, 10, engaging itsfree end,so that it may be supported transversely upon the cover whenthe latter is in position over the box, whi1ethe 1 leg or; prop maybefolded down to support the cover when it is foldeddown to one. side. Apivoted hook, 11, upon the side of the;

cover serves to engage a staple, 12, upon the edge of the sudsbox and tohold thecover closed. o.

The upper edges of the sides of the's'uds-box' are provided withbearings 12 and 13, open-at the upper sides, and-one bearing, 12, isprovided with a pivoted button or arm, l4, swing ing horizontally andclosing the bearing, while I the other bearing, 13, which extendsthrough.

the side of the box, is provided witha'verti cally-s'winging arm,'15,'the free endlot' which isheld-by a turn-button, 16. v I v Two verticalgrooves, 17, forming bearings 18 in thelower ends, extend from thebearings;

in theinner faces of t-hesidesof the'box, and

laterally-projectingtrunnions 1'9 slide and rock, in thesegrooves andextend from near the up-f 'p'er edges ofithe side pieces. of the outerrubber, 20,,the said rubber having its periphery formedof transverseslats21,having ribbed J inner faces, 22, Pivoted catches or arms 23 aresecured upon the upper edges of one side piece of' the said rubber, andmay engage notches 24 in'the innerface of theside piece I l stationarywhen desired. The inner rubber,

of the suds -'box, serving to hold the rubber 25, is provided with sidepieces, 26, and with transverse slats 27, having ribbed outerfac'es;

28, and the side pieces of thisrubber are formed I with large notches orrecesses 29, extending from the upper edges, in which notche's'uprightguide rods 30 project,-having their up} I per ends secured in the'middles of straps .31, I secured totheupper edges ofthe side pieces andcrossing the notches or recesses.

A transverse shaft, 32, is journaled inthe;

bearings in theedges of the side pieces of the] piece upon the shaft,and the inner rubber suds-box, and has the rods of the inner rubbersliding in perforations 33, so that the rubber may yield to the layer ofclothes placed between the two rubbers, and springs 34 are coiled aroundthe guide-rods and bear against the shaft and against thebottoms of thenotches or recesses, serving to force the rubber down from the shaft. Asegmental cog-piece, 35, is secured upon the shaft inside of thebearing, through which the end of the shaft projects, and meshes with asimilar segmental cog-piece, 36, upon the upper edge of the outerrubber, so that the inner rubber may rock the outer rubber in theopposite direction when it is rocked itself. The free end of the shaftis provided with a head, 36, having perforations 37 crossing each otherat right angles, and a handle or lever, 38, may be inserted through oneof these perforations and serve to rock the shaft and rubber, suitableknobs or handles, 39, being secured upon the lever.

The clothes to be washed are placed within the outer rubber,and theinner rubber is thereupon put in place, and it will be seen that bothrubbers will be reciprocated in opposite directions when the lever ofthe inner rubber is rocked, so that the clothes will be subjected torubbing upon both sides at the same time, and will be rubbed over aconsiderable surface with a comparative small amount of tilting of theoperating-lever, as both rubbers movein opposite direction and an equalspace, while the operating-lever is merely rocked the amount the innerrubber is rocked.

When it is only desired to have the inner rubber rocked, the arms orcatches of the outer rubber are tilted to engage the notches in the sideof the suds-box, and the segmental cogpiece upon the shaft is turnedwith its sleeve upon the shaft, so as not to engage the cogpiece uponthe outer rubber, a transverse pin, 40, serving to secure the sleeve ofthe cogmay now be rocked without rocking the outer rubber, whichwill'perform the same function as the stationary ribs upon the innerside of the suds-box in the usual style of this class ofwashing-machines. The lever may be secured in the head of the shafteither in a horizontal or in a vertical position, so as to suitoperators of different sizes, and so as to allow a person to operate themachine either standing up or sitting down.

\Vhen the cover is folded down, it may serve as a receptacle for thewashed clothes, the prop supporting it at the side of the suds-box.

Having thus described my invention,I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent of the United States-- 1. In a washing-machine,thecombination of a suds-box having a rounded bottom, a lower rockingrubber tr-unnioned within thebox and having a segmental cog-piece uponthe middle of one edge, and a rubber rocking within the lower rubber andhaving a segmental cog-piece upon its shaft meshing with the othercogpiece, as and for the purpose shown and set forth.

2. In a washing-machine, the combination of a rocking outer rubberhaving a segmental cog piece upon the middle of the edge of one sidepiece, an inner rubber having the middles of its side pieces cut out toform notches or recesses, and having straps secured. to the upper edgesof the side pieces and vertical guide-rods extending from the bottoms ofthe notches or recesses to the middles of the straps, a shaft journaledin the sides of the suds-box of the machine, and having a segmentalcog-piece meshing with the cog-piece of the outer rubber, and having theguide-rods sliding in perforations in it, and coiled springs interposedbetween the bottoms of the recesses and the perforated portions of theshaft, as and for the purpose shown and set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereuntoaffixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

' ISAAC WHITNEY.

Witnesses:

ELI G. GAUSE, CHARLES E. QUIRE.

